The 1939 Cleveland Convention took place from June 19th-23rd and saw a registered total of 9,237 representing 3,816 Clubs meet up in Ohio.

In an atmosphere of world-wide hate, ill-feeling and distrust. Rotary attempted to prove that the peoples of the world can meet as friends and live as friends.

The sad fact of the statistics showed a loss of the 34 Clubs from Fascist Italy though Japan's Clubs had grown by 2 to 42 in 1938-39 and 4 Japanese delegates attended. Czechoslovakia, sadly, lost their 8 Clubs due to their absorption into the Third Reich.

The Entertainment took the form of an Ice Carnival and a concert by the 80-piece Orchestra of Cleveland Rotarian Walberg Brown.

Rotarian John W Bricker, Governor of Ohio welcomed Rotarians as did fellow-Rotarian Mayor Harold H Burton of Cleveland.

The ever-witty Rufus Chapin screeched out "no" when the platform asked whether the unanimous vote of the Convention for Treasurer should be cast for the Chicago veteran. Chapin's outburst was deemed out of order but he got the last laugh by refusing to go on to the platform to take the applause!

Paul Harris personally addressed his fellow Rotarians with misgivings about the 'kaleidoscopic changes in international affairs'. Rotary exists, he told Cleveland, because of conflicting ideologies not in spite of them. Rotary was against war both emotionally and intellectually. Rotary was born and bred in friendship and tolerance.

He told the Convention: "Rotary is a microcosm of the world's leading business and professional men. We need the fourth object now. I am convinced that what Rotary has done in a small way, nations can do in a large way. To me our fourth object is the way out. Now its not the time for its abandonment nor its suspension; now is the time when it is most needed. It will carry further than the guns of the most formidable battleship. May I repeat our fourth object? 'The advancement of international understanding, good will, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional men united in the ideal of service.' The world is sorely in need of that spirit now."

(Harris also planted a Friendship Tree)

 Sadly, that fourth object - world peace and understanding- would be lost (temporarily) to the world a few months later.
 

Calum Thomson  and Wolfgang Ziegler